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TOP 10 BOOKS FOR MEDC MEMBERS
Two questions were posed to the MEDC membership:
What books should go on the MEDC “Required Reading: Top 10 Books for Economic Developers?”
What books should go on the MEDC “Required Reading: Top 10 Books for Chambers of Commerce?”
MEDC members responded with numerous recommendations, many of which were suggested for both professions. There were so many different books recommended, there was no way to form a top ten list. However, below are the top books and authors.
There were five books that were mentioned more than once:
Good to Great by Jim Collins
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
The Rise of the Creative Class by Richard Florida
The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman
Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time by Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz
Some authors were mentioned more than once:
Jim Collins’ book, Built to Last, was also recommended, as was Richard Florida’s Who’s Your City. Jay Conrad Levinson had two of his Guerrilla Marketing Series books mentioned: Guerilla Marketing: Easy and Inexpensive Strategies for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business and Guerilla Retailing: Unconventional Ways to Make Big Profits from Your Retail Business.
However, John C. Maxwell was the most recommended author with four different books:
Developing the Leader Within You
Everybody Communicates, Few Connect
Five Levels of Leadership
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
These books are for both economic development and chamber of commerce professionals.
Which of our members appear to do the most reading? Each of these members recommended six or more books: Larkin Simpson, Trey Hess, Phil Hardwick, Gary Matthews and Shane Homan.
Thank you all for your great recommendations. A complete list showing all MEDC responses is below. If you would like to add your recommendations to this list, or if you would like to write a review of a book for a Book Reviews page, email carol@medc.ms.
Happy reading in 2012!
Carol Hardwick
MEDC Executive Director
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MEDC Members’ Responses:
Charles E. Beasley
How To Win Friends and Influence People (Carnegie)
Built to Last (Collins)
Good to Great (Collins)
Joy Foy
Boomtown USA by Jack Schultz is on my list
Kenny Goza
For both groups:
Everybody Communicates, Few Connect John Maxwell
Five Levels of Leadership John Maxwell
Phil Hardwick
The Life and Death of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs
Influencer: The Power to Change Anything by Kerry Patterson, et al.
The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman
Who’s Your City by Richard Florida
The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker
Guerrilla Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson
Leading Change by John P. Kotter
Trey Hess
The Road Less Traveled - Scott Peck
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team - Patrick Lencioni
The Me I Want to Be - John Ortberg
Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis
The Bible, namely the Book of Proverbs
Developing the Leader Within You - John C. Maxwell
Shane Homan
1 Good To Great by Jim Collins
2 The World is Flat byThomas Friedman
3 Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
4 The Rise of the Creative Class by Richard Flordia
5 A Time to Speak by Jack Reed
6 Love is the Killer App by Tim Sanders
7 The World's Most Powerful Leadership Principle by James Hunter
8 What Would Google Do by Jeff Jarvis
9 Purple Cow by Seth Godin
10 Make it in America by Andrew Liveris
Christy Knapp
I have 3 favorites for Economic Developers:
1. Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
2. The Art of the Start by Guy Kawaski
3. The E Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber
Here is one for Economic Developers AND Chamber Execs:
How To Write Letters For All Occasions by Abigail Van Buren
Gary Matthews
Creating Jobs Beyond 2000 by Dr. Kenneth Wagner & Dr. Maury Forman
Growing New Ventures/Creating New Jobs: Principles & Practices of Successful Business Incubation by Mark Rice & Jana Matthews
Economic Development: Marketing for Results by Eric Canada
The Practical Approach to Industrial Development by Robert Evans
Ideas That Work: Case Studies of Successful Practices in Limited Resource Communities by National Association of Development Organizations (NAD))
Principles of Industrial Development by Richard Preston
Guerrilla Retailing by Jay C. Levinson, Elly Valas, & Orvel R. Wilson
Keeping Business Healthy, Happy & Local by Ginger Rich
Journey to Jobs: Techniques for Successful Recruitment & Retention by Maury Forman & Audrey Taylor
Gerald Mills
Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands by Morrison, Conway, Borden
The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posner
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
Tim Mood
Planning Local Economic Development Theory and Practice by Edward J. Blakely/Nancy Green Leigh
Asset Building and Community Development by Gary Paul Green/Anna Haines
Ruth Nichols
For economic developers AND Chamber people:
The Rise of the Creative Class by Richard Florida – just confirms the value of creativity to small business development and economic growth.
The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Anderson – self-motivational for leaders and followers – reminds you who you are and that there’s always hope of becoming who you want to be.
Larkin Simpson
I think the lists would be very similar and because so many of our organizations have both ED and Chamber. I suggest playing with one list. I also have a great list for “Leadership” as well if you are ever interested in something like that.
Here are a few of my recommendations:
Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time by Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz (Kindle Edition - Feb 22, 2005)
48 Days to the Work You Love by Dan Miller (Kindle Edition - Apr 23, 2010)
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You by John C. Maxwell (Kindle Edition - Sep 18, 2007)
Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition by Guy Kawasaki (Kindle Edition - Feb 22, 2011)
Personality Not Included : Why Companies Lose Their Authenticity And How Great Brands Get it Back by Rohit Bhargava and Guy Kawasaki (Kindle Edition - Mar 31, 2008)
True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership (Warren Bennis) by Bill George, David Gergen and Peter Sims (Kindle Edition - Mar 9, 2007)
In Their Time: The Greatest Business Leaders Of The Twentieth Century by Anthony J. Mayo and Nitin Nohria
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath (Kindle Edition - Jan 2, 2007)
Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath and Dan Heath (Kindle Edition - Feb 16, 2010)
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't by Jim Collins (Kindle Edition - Jul 19, 2011)
The Effective Executive by Peter F. Drucker (Kindle Edition - Oct 6, 2009)
War in the Boardroom by Al Ries and Laura Ries (Kindle Edition - Oct 6, 2009)
The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR by Al Ries and Laura Ries (Kindle Edition - Mar 17, 2009)
Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions by Guy Kawasaki (Kindle Edition - Mar 8, 2011) – I have not actually read this one but it looks good.
Focus Like a Laser Beam: 10 Ways to Do What Matters Most by Lisa L. Haneberg and Keith Ferrazzi (Kindle Edition - Jun 16, 2006)
Elizabeth Stanga
Books from the past:
Edens Lost & Found – How Ordinary Citizens Are Restoring Our Great American Cities by Harry Wiland and Dale Bell
Mitch Stennett
One of the best books I’ve read in a long time is one that would benefit both economic developers and Chamber execs. It’s Never Eat Alone: (and other secrets to success, one relationship at a time) by Keith Ferrazzi with Tahl Raz. It also says on the cover “how to build a lifelong community of colleagues, contacts, friends and mentors”.
Beth Stevens
I really enjoyed and learned some valuable lessons about leadership from William Winter’s book The Measure of our Days.
Chuck Ueltschey
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell.
Bubba Weir
Diffusion of Innovation by Everett Rogers.
The list and responses for the DCI blog is on LinkedIn.
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